Anne K Moore
Photograph Safer®Brand
Garden Photographs Anne K Moore
Procrastination sometimes takes over the most devoted gardeners, especially where lawn care is involved. Killing weeds, adding fertilizer, mowing are all humdrum activities. Even if your spring chores turn into summer doldrums, there is still time to feed your lawn and get it green for the rest of the season.
An organic fertilizer, Ringer® Lawn Restore, will green up your lawn usually in 3-5 days and will feed your grass for 2-3 months. What’s more, it doesn’t smell as if you have just spread a wagonload of manure from the farm. Its nitrogen source is from all natural proteins, which stimulate existing soil microbes and provide a quick green-up for those of you in a hurry for results. It also feeds roots, making for stronger grass, which in turn is better able to fight off diseases and choke out weeds.
Ringer® Lawn Restore is sold with or without phosphorus. You might wonder why. The answer is simple. 0% phosphorus means it won’t enter our lakes and streams through run-off. If phosphorus is added on top of the lawn, it will have little chance to bind with the soil since it doesn’t migrate through the soil easily. Use Ringer® Lawn Restore with phosphorus when you are preparing to put down grass seed or sod, and dig it into the ground.
Safer®Brand also supplies a safe and effect weed blocker, Concern® Weed Prevention Plus®, that works as a *pre-emergent. A research study by Iowa State University documented that this corn gluten meal reduces weed infestations, even crabgrass and dandelions, by 90% after three years of use. Apply Concern Weed Prevention Plus before the weeds sprout, in early to mid-spring and again in late summer, to reduce the weeds in your lawn throughout the seasons.
We hear a lot nowadays about “Green” gardens. So what’s the fuss? Clean water, clean air, and clean food are what the bother is all about. Lawn care can be responsible for some of the worst pollution. If you apply chemicals too generously, a rainstorm or even an irrigation system can float them into nearby water sources or storm drains. Before you dump all of those chemicals on your lawn consider the Safer brand alternatives. Safer®Brand, a sponsor of GardenSMART, has been providing “green” products since 1976.
Two studies, from scientists at Utah State University and the University of Connecticut determined that leaving grass clippings on the lawn after mowing increased the amount of nitrogen the grass absorbed by 205%. So, leave the bagger off the mower, put down Ringer® Lawn Restore two or three times a year, add Concern® Weed Prevention Plus® to control weeds before they appear, and you will have a lawn the neighbors will envy.
Visit the Safer®Brand lawn care website for more information.
*When you see the words pre-emergent on a package, make sure you use it where you don’t intend to grow seeds. It stops weeds by stopping the seed germination. If you have grass, it is safe to use as a top dressing. If you are starting a new lawn from seed, wait to apply Concern® Weed Prevention Plus® until your grass is up and growing.
Posted May 10, 2013
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
By Laura Root
Photos courtesy of Jackson & Perkins
Gardeners are always thinking ahead to the next season or the next year. And, fall is the ideal time to think about spring. Flowering shrubs, perennials and spring bulbs are great choices.
Click here for an interesting article about spring bulbs.
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